When I was little my brother & I went through a barbed wire fence. When we finally came out on the other side...he was wearing a skirt and I half a shirt! Haha.
His shorts were ripped open and we were both all scratched up. It looked easy to navigate but once one leg stepped over that wire we both realized we were in a mess that was going to take a while to get out. When he moved a wire it tore into me and vice versa.
It so reminds me of the mess people find themselves in today. When you are "in a fence" or as it should be spelled...an "offense" it tears up everyone that is involved. I liken it into a visual picture of a person caught in a section of fencing and they are walking around and mobile but hurting and tearing at everyone they meet or encounter. They feel uncomfortable and are pained by their circumstances but they do not realize how badly they hurt people around them with the barbs of hate and lack of forgiveness.
How do we as Christians find ourselves in such a predicament? Well, like my brother & I, it starts in being disobedient. My mom told us to never go to the other side of the fence to where the cows were but we decided that we knew what was best. We just wanted to give them a good pet! Well...that wasn't the greatest choice.
Forgiveness isn't just a "good and healthy" thing to do... it is a matter of obedience according to the word of God.
"And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your transgressions. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions."
Mark 11:25-26
This Scripture makes it pretty clear that you will not be effective in your prayers if you will not forgive others! My how forgiveness is so important to Him. Many times an unforgiving spirit comes from a heart filled with pride. We often feel justified in our unforgiveness because of the wrong done to us OR the thing done against us was so bad in our own mind that we cannot possibly forgive...who would?
Probably the most common stumbling block in this area is when we say that we have forgiven someone outwardly, while we still harbor the resentment or anger in our hearts. Jesus illustrates God’s viewpoint on this matter in Matthew 18:23-35 when the king’s servant, who had been forgiven his debt, turned around and refused to forgive the debt of a fellow servant. The king turned his anger towards the man, threw him in jail and ordered him to pay back all that he owed. “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart” (Matthew 18:35).
I have seen so many in a jail made by their own actions. Many don't even realize that they are imprisoned and just think that "this is just how life is." Never experiencing the true joy or freedom that God intended them to have. I am just so passionate on this subject because I see it all around me everyday. If people would stop feeling so JUSTIFIED because of the actions of others...it is a curse of today's society.
It is unfortunate that offenses ever occur, but the Bible indicates that if we keep our focus upon God and His Word, He will maintain such peace in our heart that we can become resistant to offenses.
“Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them”
Psalms 119:165 KJV
“You will keep him in perfect peace,whose mind is stayed on You,because he trusts in You."
Isaiah 62:3
The Lord is our reliable source of peace in all the circumstances of this life. If we simply obey his Word and allow it to renew our minds everyday then we will not find ourselves in such predicaments. Thinking the best of others and asking Christ what He thinks about a situation is the key to not only healthy living but one that might save your life. Ask Jesus today to forgive you of the feelings of being justified in your thought life regarding a person or experience. Ask Him to help you let go of the feelings of bitterness and unforgiveness and no matter who was in the wrong...ask God to forgive you and take away the sin that is in your heart. Forgiveness isn't about THEM....it is about YOU. Then pray for that person and ask God to bless them. You will be amazed how quickly you can be delivered from a snares of the enemy. God's Word is powerful and reciting it and praying love and blessing over your perceived enemies will bring you great joy.
Obedience is the key to the Oh-fences in your life....please do not ever find yourself in a situation of hurting people because you have been hurt. Lay down the "fences" that so easily entangle you (Hebrews 12:1 NIV) and run with perseverance the race marked out for you. You cannot run and win any prize in a race if you are carrying an offense. It is too heavy and you really cannot see clearly to be victorious at all! Lay it down and be all that God has called you to be. A person that loves their neighbor as their self; one that will lay down their life for a friend, one that people will know that you are His disciple by the love that you have for one another.
Adjust that Crown!
Jonna
*This blog is written by Jonna Gibson for "Invisible Crown". You can follow it at: Jonna-invisiblecrown.blogspot.com
